S.6357/A.8557, Part B Executive Budget

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Director, Center for Human Resources
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BILL

S.6357/A.8557, Part B Executive Budget

SUBJECT

Extend the Infrastructure Investment Act Design-Build Authorization

DATE

Support with amendments

The Business Council supports the Governor's original proposal:

  • The original bill would make permanent the provisions of the Infrastructure Investment Act signed in 2011 and would extend authorization to counties and cities, towns and villages with populations over 50,000.
  • Since signed into law in 2011, the Infrastructure Investment Act design-build process has been used by DOT to procure eleven contracts for bridge and deck replacements, and highway, bridge and rail station rehabilitation. The Thruway Authority used the design-build procurement process for the New NY Bridge (Tappan Zee) project. According to the division of the Budget, the design-build procurement method has accelerated DOT projects by at least a year and resulted in $1 billion of savings on the New NY Bridge alone. It has obviously contributed to optimizing cost, quality and efficiency on these projects.
  • It was logical to extend the authority for use of this procurement process to counties and cities, towns and villages. We understand limiting it to entities with a population of over 50,000.

The Business Council opposes the 30 day amendment that:

  • removes these limited local entities from authorization to use design-build;
  • specifies the use of a Project Labor Agreement for projects over $10 million; and
  • re-establishes the sunset provision which repeals the design-build authorization on December 9, 2017.